Chapter 5 - Ashes And Echoes
I turned immediately and sprinted desperately toward the massive loading dock doors.
My legs burned with pure adrenaline as I ran literally for my life.
The digital timer hit zero right behind me.
A massive, deafening shockwave ripped violently through the metal warehouse.
The immense explosion threw me forcefully through the air like a ragdoll.
I crashed through the wooden dock doors and fell over the precipice of the pier.
I plunged deep into the freezing, oily black water of the harbor.
Burning debris rained down everywhere as the entire building became a blazing inferno.
I swam forcefully out from under a sinking, flaming piece of metal.
I broke the surface of the water and gasped frantically for cold air.
I dragged my heavy, soaked body up onto a nearby wooden floating dock.
My entire body was bruised, bleeding, and shaking uncontrollably from the freezing water.
My phone suddenly vibrated persistently inside my waterproof inner pocket.
I pulled it out and saw an encrypted video call incoming from an unknown source.
I answered the call with numb, trembling hands.
My mother's cold, arrogant face appeared clearly on the bright screen.
She smiled softly and maliciously as she looked down at my miserable state.
She slowly and dramatically turned the camera around to show the room behind her.
My heart shattered completely into a million jagged pieces.
Grace was sitting in a heavy wooden chair with her hands tightly bound.
She looked incredibly pale and exhausted, but her dark eyes were full of absolute, burning rage.
Grace screamed loudly at me to save our little boy no matter the cost.
My mother quickly turned the camera back to her own perfectly manicured face.
She proudly held up a tiny, fragile bundle wrapped in soft blue blankets.
I heard the weak, beautiful, and heartbreaking cry of my newborn son.
My mother slowly stepped backward toward the edge of a high stone balcony.
The violent wind howled loudly in the background of the video feed.
She casually held my precious son out over the terrifying, fatal drop.
She calmly demanded that I legally sign over the entire mafia empire to her immediately.
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She told me I had exactly one hour to surrender everything I owned.
If I failed to comply, she promised to let my son slip easily from her fingers.
